In this edition we’re focusing on all things travel: from sleep tips for car rides to tried and true ideas to keep your kids entertained while on the road, and the best gear to help you get from point A to point B. 

ASK AN EXPERT: Sleep for kids while traveling

Whether you’re traveling a long distance by plane or driving to your destination, it can be tough to figure out the perfect sleep schedule for a trip. SPOILER ALERT: There is no perfect schedule! We once again turned to Kristen Jacob, a certified pediatric sleep consultant, for some solid and easy-to-follow advice on how to handle naps and sleep schedules while traveling.  

Let’s start with car rides. How should you handle naps? 

Generally what I advise– because you have more flexibility in the car– is either letting your child get one good nap before you leave, or leave about 30 minutes before a scheduled nap, so they can try to sleep in the car. 

Any tips for HOW to get kids to actually sleep in the car? 

I suggest bringing a portable sound machine for the car ride. because it can be a cue to the brain that it’s time to sleep. You can also put a car seat cover over their car seat to make it a little darker and provide less distraction. By the way– I recommend bringing your home sound machine to your final destination because portable devices don’t do the job. 

How about napping on the plane? 

Planes you have a lot less control over. People often ask me if they should schedule their flight around their child’s nap time. None of that really works out. Just accept that it will be an off day, and let them drift off whenever they can. Don’t stress if they’re not getting as much sleep as usual. 

What about when you get to your final destination? 

Depending on the time and the quantity/quality of sleep in the car, you can try for a quick cat nap and keep the same bed time. But if you had a bad car ride with no sleep, and you’re arriving close to bedtime, it’s probably better just to do an earlier bedtime. Just start fresh the next day on your schedule and stick to it. 

So you shouldn’t let your child sleep late the next morning? 

I suggest that parents resist the urge to let kids sleep in the next day. If you want to make up for sleep, I recommend longer naps or more naps. The idea is to keep them on their schedule. If you let them sleep in for an hour, it can throw the whole day off. It’s one less feed.

Here’s a link to Kristen’s blog, with more information. Happy Travels!